JP2002079690A - Cartridge for maintenance and ink jet recorder using the cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing means capable of opening an ink supply needle communicating with a recording head by an operation similar to an operation for attaching an ink cartridge. SOLUTION: A body 2 can be loaded to a recorder similarly to an ink cartridge to be loaded to the recorder. A cap 4 for sealing the ink supply needle B for supplying ink to an ink jet recording head A is provided to the body 2 at a region corresponding to an ink supplying inlet of the ink cartridge.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a maintenance cartridge suitable for an ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage provided with a recording head and recording is performed while receiving ink from the ink cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage provided with a recording head, in order to prevent the recording head from drying or the like, the recording head is filled with a maintenance liquid when shipped from a factory. I have. As the maintenance liquid, a liquid having as low an evaporation degree as possible, that is, a liquid having a high viscosity is used so that the amount of the maintenance liquid can be maintained until the recording apparatus is filled with ink and used for printing.

[0003]

For this reason, it is necessary to supply a sufficient amount of ink from the initially mounted ink cartridge to the recording head to replace the ink with the maintenance liquid. High ink consumption,
There is a problem that the amount of printing with the initially mounted ink cartridge is extremely reduced. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to use a maintenance liquid that can be easily replaced with ink, or to reduce a required amount of the maintenance liquid. Is to provide a cartridge. Another object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance device capable of appropriately controlling ink filling from an ink cartridge and ink discharge for eliminating clogging of a nozzle opening when the maintenance cartridge is mounted. Is to provide an ink cartridge. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus for eliminating clogging of a nozzle opening when the maintenance cartridge is mounted, and for appropriately controlling an ink filling operation when the maintenance cartridge is replaced with an ink cartridge. It is to provide.

[0004]

In order to solve such a problem, a maintenance cartridge according to the present invention has a shape in which a main body can be mounted at least at the same position as an ink cartridge mounted on a recording apparatus, and A plug that seals an ink supply needle that supplies ink to the inkjet recording head is provided in a region corresponding to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge.

[0005]

When the maintenance cartridge is mounted, the ink supply needle is shut off from the atmosphere, so that the liquid amount is maintained regardless of the volatility of the maintenance liquid.
In addition, the ink cartridge can be easily detached and mounted by the same operation as a normal ink cartridge.

[0006]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a maintenance cartridge according to the present invention. The maintenance cartridge 1 has at least the same outer shape as an ink cartridge whose main body 2 is mounted on a recording apparatus, and an ink cartridge. In the area corresponding to the ink supply port, a hole or recess 3 slightly larger than the ink supply needle B communicating with the recording head A shown in FIG. The plug 4 which can be elastically adhered to the region of the ink introduction hole C shown in FIG.
Is fitted.

The plug 4 comprises a base 5 fixed in contact with the recess 3 and a plug 6 closely contacting the ink supply needle B.
A space 7 is provided between the base 5 and the plug 6. The stopper portion 6 is configured to include a cylindrical portion 6a for guiding the ink supply needle and a tapered portion 6b for sealing the ink introduction hole C.

In this embodiment, when the recording apparatus is completed, the recording head A is filled with a maintenance liquid which is easy to volatilize but can be easily replaced with ink, and the maintenance cartridge 1 is refilled like a normal ink cartridge. When the ink supply needle B is inserted into the concave portion 3 after being loaded on the carriage, FIG.
As shown in (2), the plug 4 is tightly sealed in the region of the introduction hole C of the ink supply needle.

Thus, by shipping the recording head A in a state where the nozzle opening side is sealed with the cap member of the recording apparatus, the recording head A is completely shut off from the outside air, and the recording head A is not affected by environmental changes. Can be protected from drying and moisture, and the ingress of air can be prevented.

In order to use the recording apparatus shipped in this manner, the maintenance cartridge 1 is removed by the same operation as when replacing the ink cartridge, and then the ink cartridge is mounted. When filled, the maintenance liquid is easily discharged, and the amount of ink for initial filling can be greatly reduced,
Further, the time required for filling can be reduced.

Such a maintenance cartridge 1 uses a container constituting an ordinary ink cartridge as it is,
However, by replacing the packing of the ink supply port with the stopper 4, the mold can be commonly used, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In a recording apparatus which performs printing by mounting a plurality of ink cartridges, when the ink in one ink cartridge is consumed, the empty ink cartridge is removed and the maintenance cartridge 1 is replaced. When printing is performed with the print head mounted, the ink can be left on the recording head A as much as possible even in the ink suction operation such as the ink discharge recovery operation during the printing period. In this way, it is possible to prevent ink loss due to suction, and to minimize the amount of ink charged when a new ink cartridge is mounted.

Incidentally, depending on the type of the ink cartridge, as shown in FIG.
In some cases, an ink amount of 0, a manufacturing date, a manufacturing number, and the like are stored, and a storage unit 11 readable by a recording device is attached. When such a cartridge 10 is mounted on the holder 20 of the carriage of the recording apparatus as shown in FIG. 6, the contact 21 formed on the holder 20 and the storage means 11 form a contact and are stored in the storage means 11. The read data becomes readable.

Therefore, when a maintenance cartridge is constructed by diverting the container 12 of the ink cartridge 10, if the data indicating that the cartridge is a maintenance cartridge is stored in the storage unit 11, the recording device can store the data. By reading this data, a message such as "Maintenance cartridge is installed. Replace with ink cartridge" or the like can be reported to give advice on appropriate usage. If another ink cartridge is replaced while the maintenance cartridge is installed,
It is desirable that data for reducing the negative pressure applied to the recording head for ink filling or for reducing the time during which the negative pressure is applied be stored in the storage means 11. Further, it is desirable that data for stopping the ejection operation of the nozzle connected to the flow path of the recording head, to which the maintenance cartridge is mounted, be stored in the storage unit 11. Further, when the ink cartridge, the recording head, and the cap member are provided as a set and are independent of other sets, the nozzle discharging operation and the ink filling operation for the recording head having the maintenance cartridge mounted thereon are invalidated. It is desirable to store the data to be stored in the storage unit 11.

In response to this advice, when the maintenance cartridge is replaced with a normal ink cartridge, the amount of ink to be filled is adjusted according to the time during which the maintenance cartridge has been mounted. In other words, when the maintenance cartridge is installed for a short time, air is less likely to dissolve into the ink in the flow path of the recording head where the maintenance cartridge is installed. Because a lot of air is dissolved in the ink on the road,
The ink in the newly mounted ink cartridge is sucked so that the ink in these channels can be replaced with new ink.

The storage means 11 is provided in the maintenance cartridge.
When data indicating that the cartridge is a maintenance cartridge is stored in the storage means 11, the fact that the maintenance cartridge is mounted on the recording device side, that is, at least one
It can be recognized that the supply of the type of ink has stopped. As a result, a routine capable of complementing the ink type with the driver software for printing apparatus printing, for example, a routine for printing with black ink using composite ink using color ink, or a method using two types of dark and light inks In the case of a printing model, if a routine or the like for printing by substituting the dark ink or the light ink with the other ink type is prepared, the user is inquired about whether or not substitute printing is possible,
When the confirmation is obtained, the substitute printing can be automatically executed with the remaining ink.

FIG. 7 (a) shows another embodiment of the plug body. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 6a of the plug body 4 is shown.
However, it is habitual to maintain the close contact state at all times so that the ink supply needle B can enlarge the ink supply needle B.

According to this embodiment, when the ink supply needle B is inserted, the ink supply needle B expands in accordance with the loaded position, so that when the ink supply needle B is replaced with a maintenance cartridge, bubbles are pushed into the recording head by the piston effect of the stopper. Can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIG.
a plurality of ridges 6 on the inner surface of
When the ink supply needle B is formed, the air can be exhausted from the gap between the ridge 6c and the ink supply needle B in the process of inserting the ink supply needle B. 6b can reliably seal the ink introduction hole C.

In the color ink jet recording apparatus, the black ink cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 8A and the same container shown in FIG. Each of the divided ink storage chambers 31, 31, 31 is configured to be fitted with a color ink cartridge 30 storing a color ink of a different color.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a maintenance cartridge 40 suitable for using such a color ink jet recording apparatus from the factory to the time of delivery to the end user. At least a black ink supply needle formed in the recording device and a position where a plurality of color ink supply needles can be inserted, that is, the ink supply ports 3 of the black ink cartridge 10 and the color ink cartridge 30. The plug body 6 is fitted in the recess corresponding to the plug 33.

According to this embodiment, when the maintenance cartridge 40 is mounted at the time of shipment from the factory, all the ink supply needles of the recording apparatus are sealed by the respective stoppers 6. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the maintenance liquid sealed in the recording head from evaporating or leaking during the delivery period. As a result, the amount of the maintenance liquid injected into the recording head can be minimized.

On the other hand, the user who has purchased the recording apparatus removes the single maintenance cartridge 40 attached to the recording apparatus and removes the corresponding black ink cartridge 1.
0 and the color ink cartridge 30 are mounted, and the initial filling is executed. In the initial filling, the maintenance liquid injected into the recording head is minimized, so the maintenance liquid can be discharged with less ink than the conventional recording device without a maintenance cartridge. In addition, the amount of ink consumed during the initial filling can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the container constituting the ink cartridge is divided into a plurality of ink storage chambers by partition walls, and each of the ink storage chambers corresponds to a cartridge of a type in which color ink is stored. However, there is a recording apparatus that uses a cartridge of a type in which each ink is independently housed in a container having the same shape.

FIG. 10 shows the structure of the carriage 50 of the above-described recording apparatus.
A plurality of ink cartridge mounting areas 51 formed in
51, and an ink supply needle 52 communicating with the recording head is provided in a bottom area thereof. The carriage accommodating the ink cartridges having the same shape is provided with an identification piece 53 cooperating with an identification block to be described later so that only an ink cartridge suitable for each mounting area 51 can be mounted. 51. In the figure, reference numeral 51 'denotes an area where ink cartridges having different widths W' are mounted.
Similarly to the mounting area 51, an ink supply needle and an identification piece 53 '(not shown) are provided.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of an ink cartridge 60 that can be mounted in the above-mentioned region of the same width W of the carriage.
It is provided with an ink supply port 62, storage means 63 for storing data defining ink characteristics, and an identification block 64 cooperating with the identification piece 53.

With such a structure, even if an ink cartridge is constituted by a container body of the same shape, only the ink cartridge conforming to the mounting area 51 can be mounted by the identification piece 53 and the identification block 64, and erroneous mounting can be achieved. Can be prevented.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the maintenance cartridge 70 for the carriage constructed as described above has the ink supply needle 52 sealed in the ink supply port 72 of the container body 71 having the same shape as the ink cartridge 60. The above-described plug 6 is fitted, and the identification block 64 is eliminated or a dummy identification block 74 that allows the entire identification piece 53 to penetrate is provided. Reference numeral 73 in the figure indicates a storage unit.

According to the maintenance cartridge 70 configured as described above, the maintenance cartridge 70 can be mounted in the mounting area of the corresponding ink cartridge irrespective of the presence or absence of the identification piece 53 on the recording apparatus and the difference in shape.

Since the recording apparatus can identify the type of ink in which the supply of ink has been stopped, printing is performed using only ink that can be supplied. Of course, during printing, an ink droplet ejection recovery operation corresponding to the increase in the viscosity of the ink at the nozzle openings of the recording head is required. As such an ink droplet ejection recovery operation, there is a method in which the recording head is sealed by capping means, a negative pressure is applied to the recording head, and ink is forcibly discharged from the nozzle openings.
On the other hand, when the maintenance cartridge is installed, ink supply is stopped, and ink cannot be discharged from the nozzle opening where the maintenance cartridge is installed. Will work. Therefore, when the maintenance cartridge is mounted, the intensity of the negative pressure supplied to the capping means is reduced, or the time for supplying the negative pressure is shortened.
Change the sequence of the ink droplet ejection recovery operation.

In the above-described embodiment, the ink cartridge is configured so as to have the same shape as the ink cartridge. However, when the ink cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder of the recording apparatus, it can be mounted at a specified position by being guided by the cartridge holder. Any shape is acceptable. For example, as a maintenance cartridge corresponding to the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 5, the positions of the four corner regions for defining the insertion position are the same as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to comprise so that it may become the same.

In the above embodiment, the ink cartridge and the maintenance cartridge corresponding to the ink cartridge are determined based on the data of the storage means attached to each cartridge. Whether the maintenance cartridge 1 is mounted is determined by forming the rib 9 on the maintenance cartridge 1 and providing a means S for detecting the rib 9 at a position corresponding to the carriage, for example, a switch. Can be easily determined by the signal from the means S for detecting

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the mounted state, the ink supply needle is shut off from the atmosphere to reliably prevent the maintenance liquid from evaporating, and the ink cartridge can be easily removed and mounted by the same operation as a normal ink cartridge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a maintenance cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a recording head.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a plug of the maintenance cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a maintenance cartridge is mounted on a recording head.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the cartridge is mounted on a carriage.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing other embodiments of the plug, respectively.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing one embodiment of a black ink cartridge and a color ink cartridge, respectively, with a structure on the ink supply port side.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a maintenance cartridge suitable for a recording apparatus in which the ink cartridge is mounted, in a structure on an ink supply port side.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink cartridges formed in substantially the same shape are mounted, in the form of a carriage.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an ink cartridge on which the carriage is mounted.

FIG. 12 is a view showing an embodiment of a maintenance cartridge in which a container main body has the same shape as an ink cartridge.

FIG. 13 is a view showing another embodiment of the maintenance cartridge.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a maintenance cartridge and a carriage of a recording apparatus to which the maintenance cartridge is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 40, 70 Maintenance Cartridge 2 Main Body 3 Recess 4 Plug 5 Base 6 Plug 6a Cylindrical 6b Taper 6c Convex 7 Space 10 Ink Cartridge 11 Storage 12 Container A Recording Head B Ink Supply Needle C Ink Inlet hole

Claims (15)

[Claims] An ink for supplying ink to an ink jet recording head in a region whose main body has a shape attachable to at least the same position as an ink cartridge to be mounted on a recording apparatus, and which corresponds to an ink supply port of the ink cartridge. A maintenance cartridge provided with a stopper that seals the supply needle. 2. The maintenance cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the stopper comprises a cylindrical portion for guiding the ink supply needle and a tapered portion for sealing an ink introduction hole of the ink supply needle. . 3. The maintenance cartridge according to claim 2, wherein an inner surface of the tapered portion is configured to be in close contact with the ink introduction hole. 4. The plug according to claim 1, wherein the plug is always in close contact with the ink supply needle so that the plug can be enlarged.
A maintenance cartridge according to item 1. 5. The maintenance cartridge according to claim 2, wherein at least one ridge extending in a direction in which the ink supply needle advances and retreats is formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical portion. 6. The maintenance cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing data relating to maintenance. 7. The maintenance cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the data includes a message that can be displayed on a monitor. 8. The maintenance cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the storage unit includes data for controlling a form of supplying a negative pressure for filling the recording head with ink or eliminating clogging of a nozzle opening. 9. A maintenance cartridge formed in an outer shape that can be identified by detection means of a recording device. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said stoppers are provided in a single body corresponding to the arrangement of said ink supply needles. 11. An ink jet recording head which is detachably attached to an ink supply needle via an ink supply port and receives ink supply from a plurality of ink cartridges provided with storage means for storing ink information. In the ink jet recording apparatus in which the recording operation is controlled based on the data of (1), a plug body that has at least the same outer shape as the ink cartridge and seals the ink supply needle is provided in a region corresponding to the ink supply port. And an ink jet recording apparatus for performing replacement printing with ink from another ink cartridge when it is detected that a maintenance cartridge provided with storage means for storing data indicating that ink is not contained is attached. . 12. An ink jet recording apparatus having an ink jet recording head for receiving ink from an ink cartridge detachably attached to an ink supply needle through an ink supply port, wherein the ink cartridge has an ink supply port in an area corresponding to the ink supply port. An ink jet recording apparatus in which a maintenance cartridge provided with a stopper for sealing an ink supply needle is mounted at the time of factory shipment. 13. An ink jet recording head which is detachably attached to an ink supply needle via an ink supply port and receives ink supply from a plurality of ink cartridges provided with storage means for storing ink information. In the ink jet recording apparatus in which the recording operation is controlled based on the data of (1), a stopper for sealing the ink supply needle in an area corresponding to an ink supply port of the ink cartridge, and storage means for storing information related to maintenance An ink jet recording apparatus in which a maintenance cartridge having the following is mounted at the factory. 14. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the information on the maintenance includes data for controlling a form of supplying a negative pressure for filling the recording head with ink or eliminating clogging of a nozzle opening. . 15. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of said plugs are provided in the same body corresponding to the arrangement of said ink supply needles.